32 in 31: New Orleans Saints

Another year of 32 in 31. Sports News on Tap takes the month of August to preview the National Football League. We spend every day of the month looking at a new team and how they will fare in 2013

I like teams who seem like they are ready to scorch the earth and kick everybody's ass for doubting them. The New Orleans Saints feel like a team who have that sort of attitude.  Drew Brees is carrying the matches while Sean Payton has the gas can.  Obviously, new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan has a flamethrower because I mean, c'mon, what else would a Ryan brother be using.  Basically, what I am trying to get to is the Saints are pissed off from last year and they are ready to make another run at a Super Bowl.    

OFFENSE
Drew Brees had a big season in terms of yardage and touchdowns, but if you were to ask Brees, he would probably not call it one of his best seasons.  Brees had 19 interceptions and his quarterback rating was 96.3 which was way down from his 2011 season (110.6).  Although he still threw for over 5,000 yards and 40 touchdowns, Brees should have a better year with having Payton back in the saddle calling plays as those two are arguably the best quarterback-coach duo in football.

Brees gets both his 1,000 yard receivers back from last year with Marques Colston and Lance Moore, two players I think get undervalued due to fantasy football. I explained this with Chris Johnson earlier in the month, but because New Orleans spreads out the ball so much, people tend to see their lack of touchdowns versus their actual production on the field.  Jimmy Graham is no slouch either. The former Miami basketball player regressed a bit after his monster 2011 season, but still is the best pass-catching tight end in the game. Graham should also benefit from having Payton back.

The two big questions with this offense lie at running back and left tackle. The Saints have a multitude of good backs with Mark Ingram, Pierre Thomas and Darren Sproles.  There is really no reason why this team should have been ranked 25th in the NFL when it came to rushing the football.  Someone out of these three needs to step up in a major way. Ingram definitely has disappointed in his first couple of years, but as we know, it takes time for some young players to develop into NFL players.

Their offensive line is great for the most part, but they need to replace Jermon Bushrod who left for Chicago.  Right now, Charles Bown will be taking his spot but do not sleep on rookie Terron Armstead maybe playing a couple games mid-season, he has so much raw potential. Also have to worry about someone named 'Charlie Brown' given his inept football playing in the Peanuts strip.

DEFENSE
To say this defense was a dumpster fire last season might be offensive to dumpster fires. They attempted to fix their defense by bringing on Rob Ryan from the Dallas Cowboys. Ryan made the most of what he had in Dallas, and I still believe he is a solid coordinator.  I will say this about the Saints defense, they have a nice mix of young and veteran players which sometimes can be the perfect recipe for a team. With Ryan in charge, they will be going to a 3-4 system and as we have discussed, it takes some time to develop on the front seven.

I believe Cameron Jordan is a player and could be a force as a 3-4 defensive end and do not forget they drafted John Jenkins in the 2013 draft.  Jenkins weighs in around 360 and could be an absolute rock in a 3-4 system.  They added Victor Butler from the Dallas Cowboys and he played under DeMarcus Ware for his first four seasons which should pay off dividends for this Saints team.  Another big addition to this defense is Keenan Lewis from Pittsburgh.  People always talked about Ike Taylor on the Pittsburgh's defense, but people would forget Lewis who always did the little things for the Steelers. The other encouraging thing about Lewis is he knows what it is like to play in an aggressive 3-4 and can help teach the secondary. It is still a transition in the secondary even with  the same four positions out there.  

SPECIAL TEAMS
Garrett Hartley and Thomas Morstead are two of the better ones in the business plus add Sproles taking back kicks, the Saints do special teams as good as anyone.

KEY ADDITIONS
CB Keenan Lewis, LB Victor Butler, S Jim Leonhard, TE Benjamin Watson, QB Seneca Wallace - Touched on most of these guys, but do not be surprised if Leonhard pushes Malcolm Jenkins or Roman Harper for a safety spot.  

KEY SUBTRACTIONS
OT Jermon Bushrod, DT Sedrick Ellis, LB Jonathan Casillias, WR Devery Henderson, LB Scott Shanle

SAINTS DRAFT PICKS
S Kenny Vaccaro, OT Terron Armstead, DT John Jenkins, WR Kenny Stills, LB Rufus Johnson - Vaccaro will be heavily involved with this team. I do not know if he will start out the gate, but he will be valuable. Love Stills as a slot receiver for this team, he could be great.

GAME TO WATCH
Monday December 2nd at Seattle 7:40 pm - The Saints finish the season playing four of their last six games away from the dome. One of their most difficult games will be heading to Qwest Field to battle the Seahawks on Monday night. Hope they do not have the same fate the last time an opposing team played Seattle on Monday night.... Not bitter or anything.

WIN TOTAL 
10-12 - I think they win the NFC South this year.  I feel Ryan will tweak this defense enough to be in fine form by November and while all the road games late sort of scare me, I think New Orleans will be a well-rounded team by then ready for it.

Charlie.

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Keys to a Successful Fantasy Football Draft

As part of our continued increase in fantasy sports coverage here at SnoTap, this week we will look into some good strategies to take with you into your draft. If you missed last week’s article on how to improve your league here it is: Enhancing your Fantasy Football League

The draft is perhaps the most important day in your fantasy football league for multiple reasons. First off, if you’re able to do the draft in person, it’s the day that is the most fun, as you will gather together with the whole league. Second, it’s when you fill out your roster with the guys you will be working with through the rest of the year, whether it’s starting them, trading them, or cutting them when they don’t work out. Bryan Reynolds and I have put together some strategies we use for each draft. Feel free to use and of your favorites for your league this season.

Adam: Know your opponent:

Perhaps the most important aspect of fantasy football is to know your competition. What kind of player are they, what level of knowledge do they have about the sport, who are their favorite teams, who do they hate? This can be important because you can tell what they are going to do. For example, if you have someone who is an avid Packer fan, and not very experienced in fantasy sports, they’re likely to take Aaron Rodgers with their first pick, no matter where that falls in the draft. If you’re targeting Aaron as your stud QB, it’s important to pick him before that player. Knowing your enemy can tell you a lot about who they are going to draft, and help form your strategy.

Bryan: Know which position you can wait for:

Find which positions you are comfortable waiting for the 10^th-12^thbest player. An example of this is in the 2013 season, which will definitely be noticeable while looking at the QB and TE position. Rodgers leads the group of top tier QB’s, but he is one of few. The second tier is so large that there is likely a minimal difference between taking the fourth rated QB and the 10^th. Same goes for TE, where Jimmy Graham is running away with the top rank, but the difference is minimal after that.

Adam: Don’t Panic:

Every draft I have been featured a panic rush on players. In most seasons, there will be one position that is a little bit weaker than others, for instance this year it is running backs. What happens in these leagues is owners will reach for players above their value, and the players at that position will drop like flies. Next thing you know, you’re taking DeMarco Murray and Reggie Bush in the second round. My advice here is go against the trend. Instead of panicking, and taking a lesser value running back, take someone who will dominate their position. If you have top five players at QB, WR, and TE, you can patch together running backs from the waiver wire later in the season once injuries start happening. The key to this strategy is to look for sleepers later in the draft, once everyone else thinks they're set, and then finding quality contributors off of the waiver wire once the season has started.

Bryan: Analyze Defenses and Divisions:

It is important to analyze DEF season schedules and division matchups before the draft. I like to start the draft with three or four defenses in my head I am targeting for my team. A team like San Diego had a solid defense last year, but we have to remember they will face Denver twice throughout the season. Also, a team that can consistently stop opponents is better, as there is no method to calculate how many turnovers you can count on each week.

Adam: Know your scoring:

When looking at expert’s rankings, it is important to understand which scoring format they are considering. For example, most rankings assume four points-passing touchdown, no PPR, one point-ten yards rushing/receiving. Know where your scoring differentiates between the general leagues. If your league has six points per passing touchdown, some of the more pure passing quarterbacks will move up in the ranks, and not everyone may realize it. A lot of experts have Peyton Manning and Cam Newton on the same tier for quarterbacks. In a league where passing touchdowns are only four points, Cam might take the edge because of his rushing ability. However, if you’re looking at six points for a passing touchdown, Manning all of a sudden takes the lead, as he will rack up the points in that category. The same goes for teammates Julio Jones and Roddy White. Jones usually leads in touchdowns, but White gets more targets meaning more receptions.

Bryan: Visualize your Team:

Print off the list of rankings we will produce here on SnoTap (coming next 2 weeks) or use another site’s, such as ESPN. Once printed, go through each position and highlight your ideal candidate for each position. Obviously, it will be impossible for you to get all these players, so go through the categories again and highlight a few players outside of your top 5 that will sufficiently fit the role. You may find it helpful to highlight a lot of players in the WR and RB categories, as they will comprise a majority of your bench positions.

Adam: Look for Opportunity:

The key to all fantasy sports is playing time and opportunities to showcase skills. The players who provide the most points won’t always be the leaders in the talent department. For the last few years, Michael Turner has been a leader at the running back position, despite not being overwhelming in the talent department. What set him apart however was having no clear challenge to playing time, staying healthy, and having a team that wanted to utilize him. It allowed him to consistently deliver, while other, more talented running backs where stuck on the bench or the injured reserve.

Did we miss any strategies? What do you use for your league? Make sure to test out a few different strategies on various fantasy sites’ mock drafts. Next week, we will have rankings for the QB and TE positions. If you have any fantasy sports questions, send them to Snotap12@gmail.com, and we will make sure to get them answered in the following week’s column.

Adam

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